Midfield Madness!

[Jazz 16]

Fergie has a big problem, albeit a lovely problem to have.
Who shall he unleash in the engine room over the coming
months. The Ginger Prince Scholes is back playing after his
operation though not firing on all cylinders yet.

Fergie brought in Hargreaves presumably for his European
experience and his talent of protecting the Back 4.
Most fans thought he would be an automatic choice.

We also have Carrick who was wonderful last season
and was a great help in bringing our trophy back.
He has come in for some criticism at the start of this season
but is back performing exceptionally in recent weeks.

Then comes the new boy Anderson, who wasn't expected
to feature much this season but has been nothing short
of a revelation. His energy and quality make him hard to be
ignored.

Then there's the forgotten man Fletcher, who came back in
against Arsenal and played like a man possessed.
He let loose that day and proved to Fergie and fans alike
that he is here to fight for his place in the team.

We have all five of these players fit and ready but what
should Fergie do? Will he start to rotate like Benitez?
Should he base it on the next game depending on who
our opponents are? Should he go with who is looking
sharp in training? What are your thoughts on the
central midfield positions and who would you pair up?

[Natalie]

should be based on the last game we played
so i think carrick should keep him place and mabey but in anderon or hargo next to him because flecth wasn't that good on sat

[yangch0000]

fletch did his job, and carrick was very comfortable beside him, as much as i like this pairing, i dun think fergie will keep it for the next game, scholes might come in, and carrick shld keep his place. prepare hargreaves and anderson for the european game.

[red_devils4life]

Click here to vote! (http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={C6355B9F-F803-456B-96EA-595F2A784386}&pollid=1300)

[alto10]

i like Anderson an Carrick tho wouldlove fletch to play more so he stays

[Keano!]

Fergie knows how to handle the players and players like Fletcher and Carrick
know that Hargreaves is almost always going to be preferred to them in Europe.
But the most important thing is that the players all seem happy and that is crucial
to me.

I'd love to see the following midfield in the game this weekend against Fulham:

--Fletcher----------Anderson---------Scholes--------Ronaldo--

Fletcher: Produced an inspiring display against Arsenal and reminded
everyone, "Hey, I'm still here and fighting for a starting position!" Terrific attitude
and fully deserving of all his recent praise

Anderson: This guy could really become a huge star in the future. He's adapted to
the United team and the English team like a fish to water. He's full of confidence and when
he gets that first goal, he'll really kick on, in my opinion.

Scholes: Some people say his playing days are over, but he's still one of the best
passers of the ball and he really can dictate the tempo of the game. How can
someone of his quality be overlooked? Perhaps, he won't feature in Europe as
much as Rooney or Ronaldo but believe me, he's vital to our success in the
Premier League. Games against the Villa's, Reading's, Blackburn's, etc.... need
someone of his experience to propel the team on

Ronaldo: What do I say? He's almost guaranteed to start every game. He's a
match winner and when he chips are down, he can lift you out of trouble,
although, questions still remain over his tendency to under perform against the
really top teams in England and Europe.

And I haven't even got onto, Giggsy, Hargreaves, Carrick, Park, Nani or Eagles!

The midfield department is no cause for concern in the near future, to me anyway.

[eoininho]

cant believe anderson and carrick are gettin the vote on manutd.com... surely its scholesy and the tampon hargreaves , even tho they've never had a run in the team together i'd expect they'd be the most experienced and balanced midfield pairing not just at united but one in the world!

[Natalie]

anderson n hargvers or anderson n carrick

cant decided :(
even if i did vote for carrick n anderson on manutd.com
the big matches anderson n hargvers have doit for us so gonan be them
:)

[fazman]

I think the odvious midfield at the moment is nani , carrick , anderson , ronaldo but how it differs from liverpool is that we have quality throughout where as they have some poor players who wouldnt even make our bench . You look at park, hargreaves , scholes , giggs , fletcher bang into that j o shea and you have a freighting aray of talent all hungry for action . It aint all amazing though i think if we paired nani , fletcher , oshea , park we'd be in the **** but as a squad player your a fill gap when called upon you could take any of the above put it with ronaldo , scholes , anderson , giggs , carrick , hargreaves and they do a good job . So its a good problem in my eyes my real worry is rio and vidic were is there cover wes would have to switch back and j o shea or simpson would have to come in pique is injured so he's out there s no silvestre or neville i think fergie should of brought a right back in even if it was a loan to cover wes .

[you_little_red_devil_NZ]

I agree with those that say that selection should be based on your last performance.

There should be incentive for players to keep their place in the side and those that are waiting in the wings to prepare well and step up when given an opportunity.

Rotating players just DOSN'T WORK!!! That has been proven in almost every team sport...continuity is king!. It dosn't matter how strong your squad is!!

My Midfield would be:


GIGGS----------SCHOLES---------------HARGRAEVES------------RONALDO

Giggs for his experience
Scholes and Hargraves cause I think they compliement each other. Hargraves with his Defensive qualities and Scholes with his attacking prowess...and obviously Ronny.

Nani and Anderson will be future stars at United but at this early stage in their careers, I beileve they should remain quailty backups with the odd start.

[man.utd.singh]

I think it depends on the team.

If were talking about Lyon, were gonna want to be good in defence as well as attack. so id go for Hargo and Carrick.

But lets say were facing Dearby, a team we dont need to defend alot against and a team we can use a good attack against so we can have a goals galore. i think we can use Anderson and Scholes or Anderson and Carrick depending on how we want to break through defence.

[United_OG]

i think in terms of who should be playin for the rest of this season i think the best 2 in midfield are hargo and anderson, they compliment each other brilliantly. Hargo had a shocker against lyon but he hasnt hardly played in recent weeks for some reason, maybe still not fully fit?

however in recent weeks carrick is looking VERY sharp and fresh, maybe its because he hasnt played many games this season and now wants to cement his spot in the team for the final strech.

I think on current form carrick plays but if i had to pick 2 to play against fulham, it would be either scholes and carrick as a pair or anderson and hargo

pz...by the way, i voted anderson and hargo, i think over the course of the season so far, they have been the best in terms of consistancy as a pair when they played

[worrioz]

i think that fergie will pick

GIGGS----------ANDERSON-----------CARRICK----------RONALDO

and bring scholes on in the 60th minuet or so..... just so he find his feet again then i think scholsey will feature regulary, also wouldnt be so bad if he benched gigs and played nani on the left either that play a 5 man midfield and rooney as a lone striker, after all only playing fulham :D

[reddwarf]

You have to pick players in form for the big games and at the moment that's Anderson and Carrick.

However, I've voted for Scholes and Hargreaves because when they are both on top form I believe they are our best central midfield pairing.

[Jazz 16]

You have to pick players in form for the big games and at the moment that's Anderson and Carrick.

However, I've voted for Scholes and Hargreaves because when they are both on top form I believe they are our best central midfield pairing.

Same as myself, i have gone for Scholes and Hargo.
I guess with the amount of games coming up, there will
be a certain amount of rotating to keep the players fresh
and on their toes. With so many options at our disposal
it sure makes for exciting times. If Fergie changes the
midfield 2 EVERY game, it wont bother me one bit:
that is if we win every game. Its a tough job for Fergie
to pick the right 2 for each game but there is no better
man for the job.

My second option would be Scholes & Carrick,
they were excellent last season and proved that
duo were capable of winning the Prem.

[Daemonic Jackal]

Hargreaves & Anderson would be my first two.

[conor myles]

Scholes and carrick they were just brilliant last season

[hafiz_shukri00391]

Anderson & Carrick in the centre.....for me...
Hargreaves heat the bench and make a sub for Mr. Carrick.....
Ronaldo and Giggs for this season but I want Nani to be his long term replacement for Ryan Giggs......Oh...God Please Make This Happen........


.......................

[red_devils4life]

For me, it's gotta be form over class, so currently my vote goes to Anderson & Carrick. If Scholesy & Hargo gets back to form, which they haven't, that my vote would undoubtedly goes to Scholesy & Hargo! ;)

[versa]

For me, it's gotta be form over class, so currently my vote goes to Anderson & Carrick. If Scholesy & Hargo gets back to form, which they haven't, that my vote would undoubtedly goes to Scholesy & Hargo! ;)

Well said.

[akash_reds]

i think hargreaves has done very well in the centre for a guy who has been injured for long....he is certainly a good player and im sure this comes as no surprise......anderson to partner him at the centre.....anderson has been PHENOMENOL this season and he totally deserves the credit he is getting now(comes as no surprise to everyone i am sure :rolleyes: )

[versa]

For me, it is either the Anderson/Hargreaves or Anderson/Carrick combination.

On paper, it has to be the Anderson-Hargreaves axis. As in previous postings, Anderson is our only true attacking midfielder, now that Scholes is 'taking things easy' and that Carrick is more of a supplier rather than a penetrative force. Power, pace and aggression complimented by doggedness and ball winning ability; picture pefect it seems. However, Hargreaves hardly plays due to various reasons and when he did, has not been playing to the level I believe he can, probably due to fitness reason. Furthermore, he perhaps has been trying too hard to be a more complete midfielder by joining in the fray at United, as opposed to his stricter role for England as a true-blue defensive midfielder, and as a member noted, unwittingly disrupted our rhythm and movement. Think he should have just stucked to a stricter role like for England, sit back a bit more, lending a peace of mind and leaving the offence to our front runners.

On form, it would no doubt have to be the Anderson-Carrick axis instead. Carrick has impressed me in recent times and seems to have improved dramatically in his defensive duties, his Archilles heel in which he was sometimes caught at seas or simply lost in motion in the earlier part of this season. He even tackles cleanly, sharply and timely now, on top of his usual admirable vision in distribution and delivering the killer pass.

Unfortunately, I don't have the opportunities to evaluate between the two permutations more often than I hope for. So since there is still ample time to cast the vote, let's see what transpires over the next games, although I would be inclined to lean towards form...

[abojodeh]

Rooney glory

[versa]

For me, it is either the Anderson/Hargreaves or Anderson/Carrick combination.

On paper, it has to be the Anderson-Hargreaves axis. As in previous postings, Anderson is our only true attacking midfielder, now that Scholes is 'taking things easy' and that Carrick is more of a supplier rather than a penetrative force. Power, pace and aggression complimented by doggedness and ball winning ability; picture pefect it seems. However, Hargreaves hardly plays due to various reasons and when he did, has not been playing to the level I believe he can, probably due to fitness reason. Furthermore, he perhaps has been trying too hard to be a more complete midfielder by joining in the fray at United, as opposed to his stricter role for England as a true-blue defensive midfielder, and as a member noted, unwittingly disrupted our rhythm and movement. Think he should have just stucked to a stricter role like for England, sit back a bit more, lending a peace of mind and leaving the offence to our front runners.

On form, it would no doubt have to be the Anderson-Carrick axis instead. Carrick has impressed me in recent times and seems to have improved dramatically in his defensive duties, his Archilles heel in which he was sometimes caught at seas or simply lost in motion in the earlier part of this season. He even tackles cleanly, sharply and timely now, on top of his usual admirable vision in distribution and delivering the killer pass.

Unfortunately, I don't have the opportunities to evaluate between the two permutations more often than I hope for. So since there is still ample time to cast the vote, let's see what transpires over the next games, although I would be inclined to lean towards form...


Time to cast the sacred vote in the almost forgotten poll...

Nah, can't be Scholes-XX axis...

Done.:)

[Jazz 16]

My feelings on this change from time to time.
Im not sure if the rotation policy will do us any good in the long term.
The form of the players is usually up and down.
Anderson has been poor the last 2 games, Scholes was poor against
Pompey but amazing the game before.
Fletch has been amazing when in the team and Carrick is getting consistent.
Hargo is a bit up and down as well. I think he is important for a particular
type of game. Im going to stick with Scholes/Hargo for now.
Anderson has played a lot this season, which will hold him in good stead for
next season but I feel his inexperience could be a hinderence in the run in.

[versa]

My feelings on this change from time to time.
Im not sure if the rotation policy will do us any good in the long term.
The form of the players is usually up and down. Anderson has been poor the last 2 games, Scholes was poor against
Pompey but amazing the game before.
Fletch has been amazing when in the team and Carrick is getting consistent.
Hargo is a bit up and down as well. I think he is important for a particular
type of game. Im going to stick with Scholes/Hargo for now.
Anderson has played a lot this season, which will hold him in good stead for
next season but I feel his inexperience could be a hinderence in the run in.

Absolutely.... and thus a big headache to vote.

["A/C or A/H, A/C or A/H.....";) ]

[ManUtd08]

Scholes & Anderson would be sik

[CROoney]

WOW ? what a switch from a year and a half ago when we had almost no alternatives in midfield and were happy if we could put a solid midf.pairings

[The great dane]

I think scholes is our best midfield player .
however, he cant play week in week out.
I love Anderson but i think he and scholes are similar and both look to get forward. Hargo will always do a job and is very effective against attack minded teams. Carricks passing is quality and he has also learnt to get forward a bit more but he is more a holding player like hargo. Fletch is a true pro, always does a good job, nothing fancy but i think he should play from time to time as i would hate him to leave ! MUFC

[manutd004]

It depends on what game really.

Mind you, I would hate to be Sir Alex. Our central midfield is the strongest its been for a long time. I hope he keeps these 5 players, and doesn't sign anyone else.

But whatever partnership we use, its a big NO-NO to a Scholes-Anderson central two. Its been played on several occasions and it doesn't work.

I think Anderson has to play with Hargreaves or Carrick (we don't know how he would play with Fletcher mind you. We haven't saw that yet) and Scholes can play with anyone, apart from Anderson.

[jd_united]

Manchester evening news did an interesting piece on this a couple of weeks ago. Turned out that with Anderson in the starting line up, we've only lost once. And we don't get all that much success with Hargreaves and Scholes in there. I'm tempted to say Anderson and Hargreaves but I find it hard to leave out Scholesy, and Super Fletch as well because he has been in great form as of late

[manutd004]

Manchester evening news did an interesting piece on this a couple of weeks ago. Turned out that with Anderson in the starting line up, we've only lost once. And we don't get all that much success with Hargreaves and Scholes in there. I'm tempted to say Anderson and Hargreaves but I find it hard to leave out Scholesy, and Super Fletch as well because he has been in great form as of late

So basically, you want Fletcher and Scholes? :p

[jd_united]

So basically, you want Fletcher and Scholes? :p

Lol. Any of the four will do for me, but you can't forget Carrick as well who can when he's on form be an excellent player.

It's a good problem to have, compared to a few seasons ago when Smithy was our holding midfielder

[manutd004]

Lol. Any of the four will do for me, but you can't forget Carrick as well who can when he's on form be an excellent player.

It's a good problem to have, compared to a few seasons ago when Smithy was our holding midfielder

Yeah.

In my opinion, we've got possible the best midfield in the country at the moment.

[Keano!]

1. Scholes: An absolute credit to the club and a fantastic ambassador
for them too. He's almost the perfect role model for all youngsters looking to make
themselves known in the game. Even with his advancing years he's still able to
fire a pin-point pass 40+ yards and land it in the best possible place for an on-
rushing team-mate. A lot of fans believed that an end may be near, as last
season he suffered double-vision in his eye and it seems that he would struggle
to return to first team duties..... Its very, very hard to overlook him in the starting
line-up

2. Carrick: £16million was cashed for the Englishman and it turned
every head and everyone, questioned whether he was up to that sort of price
tag. He took his time bedding in, but he was crucial to United's title last campaign.
He does the donkey work and sets up the chances for the others to put away. He
has got so much better since coming here and he deserves a first team slot to
me. He's done very well so far this season and he, to me any way, has excelled
with Scholsey playing alongside him, a bit like Rio and Nemanja. Playing as close
to his best to me at the moment.

3. Anderson: Now we're looking at the future of United. This boy's
got it all in my opinion. Pace, strength, dribbling, tackling, vision, technique. The
only thing lacking slightly is the shooting category. But he'll master that surely
with the players he has to learn from at the club. Fergie clearly sees him as a
replacement for Scholsey and I'm not complaining. He's getting better every game
and is it me, or does he posses the same sort of attitude as Scholes? He seems
to his job professionally and lay low outside of it. Now fancy flicks and hollers at the
ref. I simply can't wait till this lad reaches his best. A true star for the future. As
for the present however, he knows, and we know that he wont be first choice.
But bloody hell, he's not too far from it either. He'll start a fair few but not all. Very
close to the best......

4. Fletcher: The guy who people may have forgotten about, away in
the closet, making the odd sub appearance, has burst back onto the scene with
some outrageous performances! He's realised, that there are other stars here,
and he wants to be a United player and to do that you have to give 100% all
the time. If that's not enough, well, not a fan on earth can fault you and hes
adapted that attitude to his game and its great to see! He's giving Fergie a
headache and putting a strong claim in for a starting position. He's up there and
doing well, but he wont play all the games. If he plays in 2 out of 5 games and
runs his socks off, then I'm more than happy to see his name in the line-up. Terrific
to see him still competing with the new faces. And its not only center midfield
either, right or left and hes comfortable there too.

5. Hargreaves: Unfortunately, his United career has been plagued by
injury so we haven't seen as much of him as Fergie may have hoped for.... He
seems to use his right foot though almost all the time but does have a great
tackling ability. Unfortunately, I can;t actually really review him, mainly because I
haven't seen enough of him. At this moment in time, if I was to pick a starting
pair, I wouldn't have him in it, but hopefully, he proves me wrong in the future.



Overall, the Scholsey and Carrick one looks best, but I'm really liking the Anderson
and Carrick one to be honest! Interesting how Fergie will set up in the remaining
games. Scholsey will be used sparingly so Anderson, and Fletch will get their
chances too. Bright times ahead for us. But we have to deliver when the time
comes. No point whatsoever talking it all up and not having something to show
for it!

[Jazz 16]

Nice post Keano btw^^^^^ but it still suggests that we still don't know
who our favoured midfield duo are.

To quote a post from the 'Which new arrival has impressed you the most' thread,
Ill try and reopen the mighty midfield debate because it seems to change from
week to week.

It's obviously Anderson. He's stood in for Scholes and made the position his own.
Against Liverpool he stifled Gerrard and versus Arsenal he was like a pitbull.
No one thought he'd have such an impact so soon. From the last two games
it seems maybe Paul Scholes is feeling the pressure

I think you make a very good point about Anderson and why he has impressed
the majority of members here including myself. He received 60% in the poll vote:
http://www.manutdtalk.com/forums/man-utd-chat/7589-new-arrivals-last-summer-has-impressed-you-most.html Please take the time to vote
if you havent already done so.

You mention Paul Scholes and his last 2 games, which I do agree on as well
to some degree but I also think its fair to look at Anderson's last few games,
which suggests to me we don't know what our favoured midfield is.

-Against Derby he was busy as ever but struggled to make an impact on the
game. Player rating of 5/6 imo.
-Against Portsmouth came on as sub but didnt make an impact and was
arguably at fault for the lead up to Portsmouth's penalty. Rating=6
-Against Lyon he started and his passing was off and he wasnt effective
enough around the pitch. Rating=6
-Against Fulham he didnt start as he was being rested for Lyon.

Just to point out against Fulham that Scholes was majestic,
pulling all the strings in the middle. His passing was sublime
and he even put in a load of tackles as well. Assist for the second
goal was pure Scholesy. Rating=9(Motm)

To keep it in perspective Scholes didnt not play well in the Portsmouth
or Derby games. He didnt play against Lyon.

Im not having a dig at Anderson.
but his recent form has been disappointing, which brings us back to our
discussion about who are the best 2 in midfield for United.

People(myself included) seem to have flavours of the month or even the week ,be it:

Fletcher-who has been amazing in recent games. Motm performances.
Hargo-Breaks the play up superbly in the middle. We know what he can do.
A few critics would suggest he slows down our play though Im a big fan myself.
Carrick-worked his way back in the team and performed very well mostly.
A lot of fans want Carrick in the first 11. He is a great passer of the ball.
Scholes-A few suggestions from some(not me) that age is catching up on
him but to see his performance against Fulham suggests that the Ginger Prince is
still business.

From the above poll it shows that Anderson & another got 80% of the votes.:eek:
which I find remarkable.
Im worried Anderson's inexperience could cost us when it matters most, picking
up the trophies. Ive always gone for the Hargo/Scholes combination and Ill
stick with that as my 2, but in saying that Carrick, Fletch and Ando could have
so much to offer the team and do so......Its just so damn confusing, Fergie has
it tough figuring out the best system and players.

Im more in favour of having 2 main men
(It was always Keane & Scholes or Robson & Ince in the day)
then having to rotate too much.
This midfield selection is an exciting problem to have and I think I have just
written myself confused :confused: about it all and who should get the nod.
I just hope Fergie gets it right in the end.
Its just 'Midfield Madness'..................
I just spent far too long on that :) :o

[Keano4taoiseach]

You mention Paul Scholes and his last 2 games, which I do agree on as well
to some degree but I also think its fair to look at Anderson's last few games,
which suggests to me we don't know what our favoured midfield is.

-Against Derby he was busy as ever but struggled to make an impact on the
game. Player rating of 5/6 imo.
-Against Portsmouth came on as sub but didnt make an impact and was
arguably at fault for the lead up to Portsmouth's penalty. Rating=6
-Against Lyon he started and his passing was off and he wasnt effective
enough around the pitch. Rating=6
-Against Fulham he didnt start as he was being rested for Lyon.

Yes, you're correct in what you say about Anderson Jazz and his last few performances.

But why, he was fantastic at the start of the season against Arsenal and Liverpool.

I blame Fergie's rotation policy in midfield, that is the real madness................

Anderson is at his best when playing games week in week out, he is then sharp.

We need to pick our best midfiled pairing and stick with it, with preferably to capable subs on the bench.

I went for Anderson/Hargreaves as they offer both grit and determination which you desperately need in todays games, especially the Premiership.

Anderson is a doggid midfielder but also an exceptional passer of the ball and very creative. Hargreaves is a terrier in midfield and cleans up situations.

Scholes granted still has the skill, but he is just too slow for the pace of matches now and both him and Giggs have become liabilities.

Anderson and Hargreaves are the future of United for me, and at present, the best option for our midfield.

This is what I envision...........

---------------------------Tevez----------------

---------------Rooney--------------------------

Nani - Anderson - Hargreaves - Ronaldo

[Jazz 16]

Some good points Bertie^^^^
but where is the creativity in the Anderson/Hargo combination.
They are both defensively minded so only one of them is needed imo.
We need someone with the guile an passing of Scholes or Carrick,
to complement the tough tackling and defence protection of
Hargo or Anderson.
People see Anderson as being able to play off the front man or
in an attacking sense. I dont see that, id prefer to have him spraying the
passes from a defending position.

[RichardsReds]

what i want to know is who voted for carrick and fletcher as the best CM pairing!?

[fazman]

your all mad i love paul scholes but he is gonna cost us the title great passing ability but no legs he is shot cant get forward and cant get back love him to bits but its carrick and anderson for me and i know this message will **** off loads of people but i dont care i want league and euro glory

[Nemanjaaa]

Anderson & Carrick, because i think Carrick gives us something extra and Anderson is just the most athletic and the best.

[Jazz 16]

your all mad i love paul scholes but he is gonna cost us the title great passing ability but no legs he is shot cant get forward and cant get back love him to bits but its carrick and anderson for me and i know this message will **** off loads of people but i dont care i want league and euro glory

We are all entitled to our opinions so you shouldnt have to worry if this may
**** some people off. Any opinion is a good opinion if you back it up with
good reasoning.:)
There is no 'right' answer in all this. I suspect we may never know what our
strongest midfield duo are.

[fazman]

nice on for your view mate i aint calling scholes we all love him he is a legend but in my opinion and lots of my friends opinions paul is struggling ive been following the reds for 27 years and have seen players lose pace before but not to the degree that scholesy has as the song go pauls scholes he scores goals but he dont know more he dont even get forward for a shot

[Jazz 16]

nice on for your view mate i aint calling scholes we all love him he is a legend but in my opinion and lots of my friends opinions paul is struggling ive been following the reds for 27 years and have seen players lose pace before but not to the degree that scholesy has as the song go pauls scholes he scores goals but he dont know more he dont even get forward for a shot

Give Scholes a bit of time. Not see his motm performance against Fulham?
That was only a few weeks ago. On a whole you might be right, he has lost a bit
of pace but dont rule the Ginger Prince out just yet....if the Fulham game is
anything to go by.